Final Exam Key Concepts: Modern Study of Jesus and Christian Origins

This set of vocabulary flashcards covers key concepts for the study of Jesus and Christian origins, including the distinction between pre- and post-Easter Jesus, social systems of the time, various theological frameworks, and the origins of Zionism.

Gospels

Products of early Christian communities in the last third of the first century.

3 Pillars of Modern Study of Jesus

Pre-Easter vs. post-Easter Jesus, memory vs. testimony, and metaphorical language.

3 Corollaries of Modern Study

The understanding that Christian origins are Human Products, a Developing Tradition, and created By & For the Community.

Pre-Easter Jesus

How his followers knew him before his death, also referred to as The Historical Jesus.

Post-Easter Jesus

How his followers came to view him in the decades & centuries after his death, also known as The Christ of Faith.

Memory

The early community's memory of what Jesus said & did.

Testimony

The early community's experience of convictions about Jesus.

Metaphorical Language

Words used to suggest "more-than-literal" meanings.

Memory Metaphorized

Stories that contain memory of something that happened, but are told so they have a more than historical-literal meaning.

Purely Metaphorical Narratives

Narratives not based on memory or history remembered, but made for their metaphorical meaning.

Multiple Attestations

A criterion to separate memory from testimony where the information is found in multiple Gospels.

Coherence

A criterion for separating memory from testimony based on consistency between Gospels.

Domination System

A set of social relations characterized by the domination of one group over another in a way that benefits the dominant group at the expense of the subordinate group.

Structural Violence

Violence embedded within the normal functioning of a social system where no single individual is directly responsible, resulting from unequal distribution of power built into the system.

Spiral of Violence Stages

The sequence consisting of 1) Structural Violence, 2) Protest Resistance, 3) Counter-Repression, and 4) Full-Blown Revolt.

Supernatural Theism

A view where God is transcendent but not immanent.

Panentheism

A view where God is both transcendent & immanent.

Five-Stroke Profile of the Pre-Easter Jesus

A Jewish Mystic, a Healer & Exorcist, a Wisdom Teacher, a Prophet, and a Movement Initiator.

Three-Fold Pattern of the Synoptic Portrait

The geographic progression of Jesus in Galilee, the Journey to Jerusalem, and Jesus in Jerusalem.

Aphorisms

Short sayings used by Jesus to teach wisdom.

Justice

The political form of compassion.

Kingdom of God

A political & religious concept involving a transformation of this world that challenges the kingdoms of Jesus' time.

The Broad Way

The path of conventional wisdom where the gate is wide and the road is easy, leading to destruction.

The Narrow Way

The path of alternative wisdom where the gate is narrow and the road is hard, leading to life.

Blind though sighted

A metaphor for the Broad Way meaning one physically can see but fails to see spiritual truths.

Dead though alive

A metaphor for the Broad Way meaning one is physically alive but spiritually dead.

Exile

A metaphor for the Broad Way representing distance from God.

Bondage

A metaphor for the Broad Way representing being a slave to sin & conventional wisdom.

Four "Lords" of Conventional Wisdom

Family (can prevent life centered in God), Wealth (valued by conventional wisdom), Honor (seekers shall be shamed), and Purity.

Imminent Eschatology

The belief that God will make the kingdom happen very soon and unmistakably.

Participatory Eschatology

The belief that God & humans will co-create the kingdom.

Borg's View on Substitutionary Sacrifice

The view that it limits God by saying He can only forgive if sufficient repayment is made and elevates one understanding of Jesus' death above all others.

Political Meaning of Easter

The interpretation that Romans made a statement through crucifixion but God verified Jesus was his son through resurrection.

Christian Zionism

A religious and political movement that returning Jews to Israel would accelerate the second coming and help the UK beat the Ottomans.

Jewish Zionism

A purely secular movement that arose due to growing Judeophobia in Europe.

Balfour Declaration

The first time a major world power officially committed to supporting a Jewish state in Palestine, setting the stage for mass immigration.